Continental was fined €200,000 and ordered to pay Concorde's operator Air France €1 million in damages. The mechanic, John Taylor, was given a 15-month suspended prison sentence for 'having gone against industry norms' by using titanium to forge the piece that fell off the plane.

Air France Flight 4590 was scheduled to fly from Paris to John F Kennedy Airport in New York on 25 July 2000 and was carrying mostly German tourists on their way to the USA to rendezvous with a cruise ship.

During take-off, a tyre was punctured which sent debris flying, some of it hitting the underside of the wing structure and sending a shockwave into the fuel tanks which caused the fire.

The Concorde had barely got off the ground before it crashed into a hotel, killing all 109 on board and four hotel workers.

The accident - the only fatalities in Concorde's history - and an economic downturn, contributed to the aircraft being taken out of service three years later.